Trolling-spoon.



No. 888,935 PATENTED MAY 26; 1908. F. S. SAMS.

TROLLING SPOON.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18. 1908.

Gummy i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l ltAN h b. SANS, Uh NEW SMYRNA, FLORIDA.

TROLLING-SPOON.

To alt iii/Loni it may concern.-

Be it known that l, FRANK S. SAMs, a citizen oi the United States, residing at New Smyrna, in the county of Volusia and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful improvements in lrolling-Spoons; and .I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in trolling spoons, and. while applicable for use in connection with all kinds of fish caught with spoons, it is primarily designed for tar pen and other large game iish.

In the spoons as ordinarily constructed, the spoonand cluster of hooks are so swiveled with relation to each other and the line that the spoon rapidly revolves the same is trolled through the water.

In the present invention, however, one of the objects is to provide a spoon that, instead of revolving, will dart from side toside and having a hook so hung thereon that; the

rapidly moving hook will swish laterally,

making the whole device appear as a fish moving rapidly through the water with its tail swishii'ig from side to side;

Another object of the invention is to provide a strengthening rib for the concave spoon, and still a further and important object is the particular manner of securing the hook to the spoon, so that when a fish strikes and is hung, when the line is pulled taut the spoon and hook cooperate to prevent the fish from getting off.

While the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsshown and described, still for the purpose of disclosure, reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical embodiment of the invention, in

which like letters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which-- Figure 1 represents a view in side elevation of the improved spoon and manner of attaching the hook thereto. Fig. 2 is a centiral longitudinal sectional view through the spoon showing the reinforcing rib and the hook in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing different positions the hook will assume with relation to the spoon as it darts through the water, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1, the barb of the hook being broken away.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 18, 1908.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Serial No. 411,510.

i l designates the spoon proper, which may ening or reinforcing rib 2, which may be sccured to the spoon in any suitable way; for instance, the end 3 may he soldered or riveted to the spoon, while the other end is preferably'bcnt back upon itself to engage the 4 forward end of the spoon to form the loop 4, and the hem-over end being riveted to the body portion by a suitable rivet 5 passing l through the bent-over end and through the spoon and through the bodyportion of the strengthening rib. Before this is done, the usual swivel 6 may be secured in the loop 4.

At ap'osition between the central portion of the spoon and one of its ends, illustrated in the drawings toward its rear end, is an aperture 7. As shown in the drawings, this aperture 7 is disposed toward the rear end of the spoon at a substantial distance from the central portion thereof, and at this position the reinforcing rib 2 is provided with the bent portion 8 extending through the aperture 7 a substantial distance to form a loop for han ing the hook 9.

Tlie hookQ, as shown, extends with the edge of the shank opposite the barb portion lyingadjacent the convex side of the s noon, so that the hook or barb portion 10 is isposed toward the spoon, instead of away from it as is ordinarily the case.

This manner of hanging the hook allows the same to freely swing laterally and at the same time to move in directions substantially, at right angles to its lateral movement,

by the hook portion; that is to say, the radial distance from the pivotal point 8 to the l point 10 of the hook is such as to allow clearance of the point past the rear end of the spoon, but it will cause the barb end of the hook when on the concave side of the spoon to lie inside of the end of the spoon. In con- .sequence of this construction and 'arrangement of the concave spoon with the particular disposition of the hook, owing to the suspension of the hook at a position on the spoon intermediate of the center and one end of the spoon, as the device is trolled through the water, owing to this arrangement and the differences of pressure on the larger and l smaller areas of the spoon from the pivotal i be of an elongated form and of concave conside or concave portion thereof is a strengthso that the end of the spoon is encompassed hook and the end of the spoon, so that it is practically impossible for the fish to get off if the line is held taut, as every forward hinge would be impeded by the rear end of the spoon striking the fish's jaw.

-Having thus described the invention, what I claim is I 1. An elongated concave trolling s oon provided with a central longitudinal ri on one face, one end of said rib being projectedbeyond the end of the spoon and bent back upon itself and secured to said spoon to form a loop, and a hook secured to said spoon, substantially as described.

2. A trollingspoon provided with a reinforcing rib on one side thereof and bent to form a projecting loop extending through said s oon to the other side thereof, and a hook ung on said loop, substantially as described.

3. An elongated concave trolling spoon provided with an aperture and with a central ongitudinal rib on its concave face, said rib being bent upon itself andupon said spoon at one end to form a swivel connection, and said rib being bent intermediate of itslength toform a loop extending to the other side of said spoon through said aperture, and a hook hung to said loop, substantially as described.

4. QA trolling spoon provided with a min forcing rib'on one side thereof, and having a loop portion extending through said spoon to the other side thereof at a position intermediate of said spoons center and one end,

and a hook hung to said loop, substantially as described.

5. A trolling spoon provided with a hook suspended therefrom on the longitudinal central line of the spoon with the ed e of the shank, opposite the barb portion, ying adjacent one side of the spoon, the radial distance from the point of said hook to its position of suspension being just sufficient to allow clearance of the point of the hook beyond the end of the spoon, whereby opposing forces at the forward end of the spoon and said book will cause the point of said hook to close in towards the rear end of the spoon and form an interlock with the jaw of a fish, substantially as described.

6.-An elongated. concave' trolling spoon provided with a central longitudinal strengthening rib on its concave fac'having a looped portion extending through said spoon at a position intermediate of the center of the spoon and one end thereof, and a hook hung to said looped portion of said rib with the edge ol' the shank opposite the barb portion lying against the adjacent face of the spoon, and the radial distance from the point of the hook to its suspension position being just sulhcient for clearance of the point of the hook past the rear end of the spoon, whereby said hook is normally free to inove in varying directions with the hook portion substantially encompassing the rear end of the spoon, and whereby opposing forces at the forward end of the spoon and said hook will cause the point of said hook to close in, towards the rear end of the spoon, substantially as described.

7. An elongated concave trolling spoon rovided with an aperture intermediate of its center and rear end, a central reinforcing rib for the concave face of said spoon pro- Vided with a bent ortion extending through said aperture, and at its forward end bent upon itself and said spoon and secured there to to form a swivel loop and a hook suspended from said bent portion with the edge of its shank opposite its barb portion lying against the convex side of the spoon, the radial dis tance between the oint of the hook and its position of'suspenslon being slightly greater than the distance .from said )osition of suspension to the rear end of t ie spoon, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

8. An elongated concave trolling s oon provided with a central longitudinal ri on its concave face, one end of said rib bein projected beyond the end of the spoon and ent back upon itself and secured to said spoon to form a loop for the attachment of a line at the central forward end of the spoon, in combination with a hook suspended from said spoon at a position intermediate of the center and rear end of the spoon .to swing laterally of and at right angles toward and away from said spoon, said hook being hun with the edge of its shank, opposite its bar portion, lying adjacent the convex side of said spoon, with the curved portion of said hook adapted to encompass the rear end of said spoon, whereby when the spoon is trolled through the water the pull of the line at theforward end of the spoon and the retarding swishing of the hook will impart a darting movement instead of a revolving movement to the spoon, substantially as described.

. In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK S. SAMS. 

